“Swim and travel carry nostalgia and a big significance in my life now that I have settled in Brooklyn”, says 30-year-old Istanbul-raised designer Melisa Denizeri, who founded her eponymous swimwear label Denizeri earlier this year.
Having closely worked with cult designer Maryam Nassir Zadeh, Denizeri obviously has a penchant for minimalism. Although she embraces an unfussy approach to fashion, which champions comfort above all, Denizeri loves vivid, eye-catching colours.
Her line proposes uncomplicated, 90’s-inspired sporty silhouettes in a colour palette of neon green, bright orange, ocean blue as well as black and white.
Inspired by her summer memories spent sailing around the Aegean Sea when she was younger, the emotional resonance of her designs feels particularly palpable. “This project somehow weaves my past and present together”, she says, reminiscing about the days she would spend on the boat with her family. “We would go to remote bays with no electricity and swim all day, sometimes even falling asleep in our swimsuits”, she continues.
Denizeri is quite active herself, which explains why versatility is another central element that fuels her collection. Her pieces aren’t made just for swimming— in fact, the Denizeri swimsuit is an essential made to be worn by women from day to night for years on end.
“Most people keep the suits they love for almost a lifetime. That’s the approach I took when I conceptualised by pieces and it provided a fun challenge”, she explains.
To Denizeri, swimsuits should feel like a second skin, sculpting your body for everyone to feel simultaneously comfy, confident and feminine.
